Sorry for the late post.
(Word Count: 1,791)
Monday's schedule was the heaviest this year, and it was especially true for Harry, because he needed to use his timeturner to attend his divination class.
For transfiguration, last year mainly covered inanimate to inanimate as well as some inanimate to animate towards the end. This year, they were covering animate to inanimate spells. They had practiced turning animals into goblets, beetles into buttons, rabbits into slippers, and now this week they were learning how to change cats into cauldrons.
None of these spells had any real, practical use outside of the classroom. However, they served as a teaching tool to get the students thinking, and practicing, the actual theory behind the transfiguration. Each spell had an increase in the conceptual gap between the animal versus the object. Beetles to buttons was hardly a leap, as both were already small, hard, and shiny. Rabbits to slippers leaned on the silly, familiar image of bunny slippers. Cats to cauldrons however, held only the vaguest storybook idea of witches—with their black cat familiar and bubbling cauldrons—to link them together.
By slowly increasing this conceptual gap, their "muscles" for transfiguration grew. Eventually, they would then start learning transfiguration spells that didn't require the target to be anything specific. These would not have any sort of conceptual linkage between the target and the desired form.
The next class was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lockhart was still as showy as ever, and he had slowly become more comfortable with his position and had started with his dramatic reenactments of moments from his stories. The only upside was that, due to his and Dumbledore's meddling, he did try to incorporate details of the creatures he had "fought". This week, they were going over the large thornback spiders. Apparently, he had run into one in the Break with a Banshee book. It still wasn't very useful, but better than nothing.
For Herbology, they were taking care of some gurdyroots. Gurdyroots were a type of magical onion that was green. They are especially infamous for their very strong, and foul taste. However, they were widespread among the wizardfolk despite that. They had useful properties that made them an old-fashioned household remedy for the flu and other illnesses. They were also a key ingredient for invigorating draughts and girding potions, and other anti-fatigue potions.
For an herbologist however, they were most useful because they repelled gnomes, rabbits, and other creatures that would destroy your garden.
Neville already knew all about these, as he had planted them around his own garden to keep it safe.
Harry had also known about them because the Lovegoods had a bunch of gurdyroots planted around their whole house. In fact, Xenophilius swears by the home remedy, saying it's basically a cure-all.
For Potions, they were currently learning how to brew the snuffling potion. This makes the drinker sniff uncontrollably, with some decent improvement to their sense of smell if brewed well.
After potions, Harry turned back time and went to attend his divination with Fred, George and Lee. They've made sure to share a table with him ever since Lee had gotten his job as the quidditch announcer.
For Divination class, they've been going over horoscopes and their various interpretations. Sometimes they used an orrery, a model of the solar system, and sometimes they used their telescopes to look at the actual sky. It was really quite fascinating to learn how astrology and divination intersected.
Many wizards knew that the moon had an influence on magic, mostly through learning about potions and werewolves, but not many here in magical Britain realized that the stars had an effect as well. Granted, they only really affected the subtler, most precise magics like rituals or wards.
To a seer like Harry, the stars told the future. Though he preferred other methods, like direct visions. It was far easier to tell what the future was when he could actually see it.
At the end of the day, just after dinner, Harry had excused himself and left his friends to venture into the forbidden forest alone. He then used the time turner to go back a few hours so he had enough time to do what he came to do. He looked around to make sure the coast was clear, and transformed into a crow and flew deeper into the forest.
He had two goals in mind: the two Magic quests. He hadn't gone with her quest regarding the basilisk, so he wanted to take care of these other quests of hers as soon as possible so he didn't get on her bad side. It was the least he could do.
First, he needed to clear out the majority of the acromantulas that had grown far too numerous under Hagrid's care. Right now they were relatively in check through Aragog's friendship with Hagrid, but even then they were far too willing to eat students that wandered close. That strained peace wouldn't last for much longer, as Aragog was already old, and would die in the next few years. Afterwards, the acromantulas would attack the castle with Voldemort's forces.
Magic herself says they were overrunning many of the other magical species in the forest.
[Magic Quest: Acromantula Nest
This nest of Acromantulas has gone largely unchecked thanks to Hagrid's friendship with the Acromantula's patriarch, Aragog. Because of this, the spiders' numbers have grown exponentially, wreaking havoc on the rest of the magical creatures in the Dark Forest. Cull the numbers down to less than 100. This will allow the Centaurs to effectively manage their numbers from there.
Reward: +2 Levels]
His second goal was he needed to talk to the centaurs. They were the caretakers of the forest after all, and once he dealt with the spiders, he would need to work with them to get it back to what it was before. There was also the Centaurs quest.
[Magic Quest: Centaurs
The centaurs of the Forbidden Forest have long watched the stars and guarded the balance of magic within their home. Acromantulas encroach, wars approach, and the skies grow troubled. Meet with them, make peace, and offer aid.
Reward: +1 Divination, Perk: Friend of the Forest]
The quest itself doesn't clarify what exactly Harry was supposed to do for the centaurs, or how he was supposed to "make peace" with them, or what sort of aid he should offer. Maybe Magic felt like it would be obvious once he arrived?
Harry glided over the treetops of the forbidden forest. The part of the forest he was flying towards was in the opposite direction he had ventured into last year. That was the direction of the centaurs and unicorns, which was far safer for students to get lost in. This region of the forest would be far more dangerous, as the acromantulas hunted here.
The further in he flew, the eerier it got. It felt wrong. The soft rustle of leaves and distant hoots of owls faded, replaced by an uneasy stillness. Even the usual scurrying of small animals grew sparse until the forest felt utterly barren. The huge tree trunks became pillars holding up a dark, heavy ceiling that felt like it would fall down on top of him. Gnarled branches poked at from the foliage on the floor like grabbing, bony hands. There was even a thin fog that crept in that left a moldy taste in his mouth.
Eventually, Harry saw the first spider. It was sitting completely still, hugging a tree trunk just under the main canopy. He had almost missed it, the way it blended into the wood. Luckily his sight as a crow was exceptional.
Harry shivered at the sight. It was as big as he was. As a human, that is. As a crow, it was several times larger than he was. That just wasn't right.
He flew up above the canopy and saw not too far away the canopy of the forest changed to a mass of white webbing coating a huge portion of the forest. The trees underneath had long since been choked to death by the webs, leaving them bare. The webs formed their own twisted canopy webbing.
He could see dozens of spiders within, their hulking dark bodies contrasted greatly against the white webs. There were likely hundreds more.
Harry flew to a tree a good 20 meters away from the first spider he found, inspected it in case it held a spider of its own, and perched on a branch. He shifted back.
Keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any movement around him, he claimed the basilisk dagger reward from earlier. Who knew if it would be handy today.
The dagger dropped into his waiting hand. It was a curved dagger, the blade curved one way, the round handle gently curved the other, making a subtle "S" shape. It had dark black leather for a sheath with a silver cap at the end and a silver band and ornamentation for the guard and hilt. There were snake motifs etched into every bit of silver, and tiny green emeralds for all of their eyes.
Harry drew the dagger from its sheath and the blade was ivory white, but… he gently hit the blade against the tree, and it rang clearly. It didn't sound like bone, it sounded like metal. 'Wasn't it supposed to be made with a fang?' Harry couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
He identified it with the system.
[Basilisk Fang Dagger. Made from the fang of the basilisk you've slain. The fang in the hilt permanently impregnates the blade with its venom. Channel a bit of magic into the fang, and it will drip the venom from the blade's tip. A single knick will be able to kill anything. If they somehow survive the venom, the blade is cursed so any wound will resist healing. Handle with extreme caution.]
So the fang was the handle. Harry felt a bit stupid when he read that. Snake fangs were hollow to inject the venom. They would make terrible blades.
He hefted the dagger in his hand for a bit, feeling the weight settle. It was perfectly fitted into his hand, the curve of the hilt fit his grip perfectly, and it was comfortable. Harry grinned, all previous disappointment gone.
It was a good dagger!
He sheathed the blade again, and tied it into his belt at his side. When he got back, he would have to enchant it to the nines and back for his own protection, and so no one else can unsheathe it. Maybe he could ask Arcturus about what else he could add to it.
He turned his eyes towards the acromantulas, and drew his wand.
It was time to get to work.